Review: HP Pavilion dm3t notebook

Purchasing a computer nowadays is an extremely personalized experience. Sure, you can walk into any store and for a few hundred bucks walk out with generic computer #4, or order something online from Big Jim’s Discount Superstore, but there are so many options out there that you should have a computer that is built to fit your specific needs. Today we’re going to take a look at HP’s latest design concept, the Pavilion dm3t. This is a system that would be a great fit for a lot of people.

The dm3t slots is what is known (by some) as a “tweener” laptop. It’s not quite a full laptop in the “desktop replacement” sense, and it’s too big to be considered a netbook, but it fits very squarely in between both of those worlds. This isn’t a new type of machine, it was just retired for awhile. Ten years ago manufacturers some tried to call these “subnotebooks” but it never really caught on. So, as with many things in the tech industry, it has been reborn now that the technology and the price is right to bring them back.

HP set out to accomplish three specific tasks with this line of machines. They needed to have good battery life, they couldn’t compromise on performance, and it needed to always stay cool. This isn’t an easy combination. Powerful machines typically get pretty hot, and usually are a drain on battery life, so finding that balance is pretty difficult. Plus, HP needed to avoid their recent designs where the battery jutted out of the device to help with portability. The resulting line of machines is the Pavilion dm3 series.

Hardware

The dm3t is 1-inch thick, and weighs in at just under 4 pounds. There’s no optical storage on this machine, though one can be purchased as a standalone unit to be plugged in via USB (Supermulti Drive or Blu-Ray options available). The 13.3-inch screen and 1366×768 default resolution gave more than enough room to play, and the Intel Core i3 with Intel HD graphics chipset offered enough horsepower to play the latest games and stream HD content with ease. All of the usual trimmings were offered: two USB ports, an eSata port with a USB port, HDMI and VGA outputs, and a combination SD/MMC/XD/MS slot occupy the outside of the laptop.

The built-in Altec Lansing-powered Dolby Digital speakers produces a great audio experience that is both loud and full, and the placement of the speakers on the bezel under the touchpad allows the sound to fill the room, unless you have the laptop on a bed or are covering the speakers somehow.

The outside of the laptop is coated in a soft touch matte finish material, while this inside is all polished silver tones. The silver plastic keys on the keyboard rest on top of a magnesium alloy coating and the palm rests are always cool to the touch. The touchpad is a large single button with multi-touch gestures and sectioned off zones for right and left click. I found myself much more comfortable using a single finger to scroll than two, due largely to the inaccuracy I found when trying to use two fingers to scroll.

Building a dm3t on the HP website gives you access to up to 8GB of RAM, your choice of SSD or standard hard drive, and add-on’s like a backlit keyboard and a mobile card that supports Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T. Should you choose to make some of these upgrades on your own, HP has made access and installation much easier than previously. Behind the battery is a button that releases the HDD tray and RAM access, no screws involved.

HP did quite a lot to make sure that no matter what you are doing on this machine it stays a reasonable temperature. From the magnesium coating on the palm rest and keyboard, to the processor and cooling pipe placement on the inside, the machine stays cool. The bottom of the laptop is flat, there are no air vents to cover up should you use this on a bed or on your lap. Instead, the air flows from the front of the laptop in between the speakers and comes out the left hand side of the laptop. HP has also included an accelerometer in this machine, along with setting that will allow you to control how the fan operates when the machine is in motion.

Software

Like most new HP laptops, the machine boots into Splashtop instant-on desktop, and then into Windows with options to control that. Splashtop allows you to use web based and communications features like Skype, browsers, and more. When you boot into Windows, you’re presented with some custom software a handful of optimizations for power, wifi, and thermal controls. For starters, Fences are HP’s desktop organization software. Tiny shaded squares that you can label in whatever way floats your boat, and you can drag and pin icons from your desktop to these fences. If this method of organization isn’t for you, Fences are easily removable.

Optimization software like Wireless Assistant seems a little unnecessary, but the power and thermal optimizations are really easy to use. Basic settings are available that allow you to adjust the fan’s active speeds, optimizing for performance, quiet, and the coolest you can make the system. These controls are separate from when you have the machine running on battery or connected to power. Similarly simple settings apply to the power controls, allowing you to apply profiles for performance, battery life, or “HP Recommended” which is a balance in between them.

Overview

This the dm3t is perfect for the student, the couch user, consumer in search or portability. This machine’s ability to stay cool no matter what you do is really impressive, and the 6 hour battery life for the performance you get makes this machine worthwhile. At $550, the dm3t offers up a terrific blend of functionality and productivity solutions, and is a great machine for entertainment of any kind.